Playoff Run Halted at Minnesota State In CCHA Semifinals

Mankato, MN. - The Ferris State University men's ice hockey team scattered high danger scoring chances all night, but ultimately fell 7-2 in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA) Mason Cup Semifinals Saturday, (March 11) at the Mayo Clinic Health System Event Center to the regular season champion Minnesota State Mavericks.

The run is Ferris State's longest in seven years. The Bulldogs won their first playoff round since 2016, finished the season with three road sweeps of CCHA opponents, and had nearly half of their wins come against top half of the country teams in the pairwise at the time of competition.

Ferris State in fact got in front early after a well played first period when freshman forward Connor McGrath got loose in front of MSU goaltender Keenan Rancier, and buried a chance after strong work below the goal line by senior defenseman Matt Slick (6) and sophomore forward Bradley Marek (10) for a 1-0 lead on his eighth goal of the year at 15:32 of the first period.

Three minutes later, the Mavericks got in on a rush, and while sophomore goaltender Noah Giesbrecht made the first save, the Bulldogs could not locate the puck behind him as Christian Fitzgerald tied the game at 1-1 at 18:32 of the opening frame.

It took the Mavericks 28 seconds to go in front. On a power play moments later, CCHA leading scorer David Silye got loose from the left circle for a 2-1 lead into the locker room after one for Minnesota State.

While Ferris State would go on to hit several goal posts that barred pucks out, and narrowly missed on net-mouth scrums, the Mavericks mounted a 4-1 lead on goals by Brendan Furry at 3:27 of the second (power play) and Cade Borchardt on the rush at 9:07.

The Bulldogs pulled back within two goals on their first power play of the night, and needed just 11 seconds of power play time to beat Rancier. Ferris State junior forward Stepan Pokorny got open in the right circle after retrieving a puck, and ripped a shot off the leg of Marek and in for Marek's eighth goal of the year and Pokorny's team-leading 15th assist, at 10:51 of the second period. Slick picked up his second assist of the night and seventh of the season.

While the Mavericks capitalized three times in the third (Ondrej Pavel, 12:17), (Lucas Sowder, 15:14 into the empty net), (Jake Livingstone, 16:42, PPG), the Bulldogs continued to generate chances. Freshman forward Caiden Gault bolted past the Maverick defense in the third and put a backhand shot off the right goal post. The late charge wasn't enough for Ferris State.

Ferris State's season ends at 14-19-4 in the CCHA Semifinals, though all four ties resulted in shootout victories for the Bulldogs. Ferris State climbed a spot and added three regulation and overtime wins from the previous season, improved by six standings points in the CCHA, won their most games against nationally ranked opponents since 2016, and battled for home ice even into the last weekend of the regular season.